Orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr. David Geier has an enormous passion for helping athletes reach their maximum potential, and he believes a big part of that is simply learning from others’ mistakes.

We runners often ride that line between just right and too much in training, and injury occurs when we go too far.

This is the basis of David’s bookThat’s Gotta Hurt, which chronicles the injuries that have served as turning points in sports medicine, including Joan Benoit’s legendary win in the 1984 US Olympic Marathon Trials just 17 days after arthroscopic knee surgery.

In this episode, David will discuss the ways in which sports medicine has evolved and share the truth behind treatments like cortisone injections, stem cell therapy, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to help you navigate through injuries for long term health and success.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

Common causes of running injuries and how to minimize them

The importance of sleep and how to know if you’re getting enough

How to determine if shoes or orthotics will help or hurt you

The importance of strength training and cross training

What’s on the horizon for sports medicine

Inflammation and anti-inflammatories: When are they good and when are they not?

Questions Dr. Geier is asked:

4:03 What sparked your interest in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery?5:28 What has been the most common cause of injury among your clients and runners in general?

6:49 What advice do you have for runners regarding not crossing that line into you overuse?

8:13 Is it just a matter of not exceeding your stress threshold and do stress thresholds increase as you get fitter?

9:35 What are some stresses and lifestyle habits that make a runner more susceptible to injury?

11:13 How much sleep should runners be trying to get at night?

13:33 What monitor are you using to monitor your sleep?

16:21 In your opinion, how do you shoes play a role in injury?

22:13 What is your opinion on whether or not orthotics cause more injuries than they prevent and if so, why is this?

25:05 How can runners determine for themselves if orthotics are necessary?

24:58 Is it better for runners to strength train weak spots on their bodies then to use orthotics?

26:34 How did Joan Benoit’s rapid recovery from knee surgery resulting in her win at the Olympic marathon trials serve as a turning point for sports medicine?

29:42 What is your opinion on taking time off when recovering from injury?

32:24 What are a few common weaknesses for runners that contribute to injury?

37:31 What's happening in sports medicine today with treatments that can help reverse damage from prior injuries?

39:51 What is platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment?

42:24 How effective is it and how quickly do people see the effects of it?

43:32 Why aren't you a fan of Cortisone shots?

45:27 Should runners take anti-inflammatories or let the inflammation run its course?

47:12 How should people best implement Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and are any more important than the other?

49:05 What's your opinion on cryotherapy?

52:58 What kinds of things can runners do now to ensure long-term health and performance success?

Quotes by Dr. Geier:

“I’m all for pushing yourself to a new goal, but you’ve got to work up to that slowly.”

“If you start paying attention to your sleep, that naturally is going to make you want to get more sleep.”

“There was a study that just came out in the last 3 or 4 months that showed that the lowest injury rates were people who wore the shoes that were most comfortable for them.”

“It’s just really a great feeling to be able to tell somebody after they suffered an injury or they had surgery, ‘Hey, you can go back to running or you can go back to football or soccer or whatever it is’ and see the excitement on their face.”

“If something really hurts, just take a day or two off and see if that’s just enough to get it better, but you don’t have to just stop running altogether.”

“We may be at the point where we’re about to make another big, big shift in (sports medicine). I think what’s coming are these treatments based on YOUR body.”

“We want people being active forever, throughout their lives. The key is to encourage people to do it, but to do it in a way so that their bodies hold up so they can be active later, so that they can play with their kids and run in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and just be physically active with daily activities.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Heat waves blurred the horizon as Jack and his competition toed the starting line, their uniforms already drenched in sweat. It was over 100 degrees, and spectators lined the course with sprinklers and garden hoses at the ready to cool off passing runners.

40 percent of the field dropped out that year, but, through smart racing and pure grit, Jack gradually worked his way into the lead and then into history as he crossed the line the champion of the 1976 Boston Marathon with a finishing time of 2:20:19.

The race was nicknamed - appropriately enough - the “Run for the Hoses”, and it was one of the biggest defining moments of Jack’s life.

“One” being the operative word.

Jack went on to record a personal best of 2:11:17 at Boston in 1978 and qualified for 3 consecutive Olympic Trials in the marathon in 1972, 1976, and 1980.

Jack also taught sports psychology at Tufts for 26 years and now works as a training consultant to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge through which he has raised over $30 million for breast cancer research.

Jack has no shortage of insight when it comes to mental game, and he loves sharing that insight to help other runners.

Listen in as Jack discusses his tips and tricks for setting goals, bouncing back after bad races, and finding happiness in the process.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

How Jack started running

Jack’s progression from underdog to Boston Marathon winner

The 1976 Boston Marathon

Jack’s background in sports psychology

Why it’s important to differentiate “victory” and “success”

Jack’s advice on setting goals

How to bounce back from a bad race

Questions Jack is asked:

3:55 How was your experience at ZAP Fitness?

6:15 How did you first get into running and what really sparked your passion for the sport?

19:45 What were the conditions for 1976 Boston Marathon?

21:13 Did your strategy change going into that race?

26:17 What were the last 8 miles of that race like for you?

31:58 How did it feel having the crowd cheering for you as you won the Boston Marathon?

37:03 What do you advise runners to do in regards to setting goals or multiple goals per race?

46:02 Why should we differentiate “Victory” from “Success”?

49:20 How do you advise runners bounce back from a ‘bad’ race?

57:13 How much time did you give yourself to ‘grieve’ over a disappointing race?

1:00:31 What’s next for you?

Quotes by Jack:

“I just almost had to keep pinching myself. ‘Is this really happening? I’m really winning the Boston Marathon!’”

“Too much focus on the outcome will contaminate your performance….The process by which - if we attend to that, then the outcome becomes a byproduct of that process, and we have much more control over the process as opposed to the actual outcome.”

“Part of the human condition is that we tend to confirm our greatest fears to ourselves, and if our greatest fear is to lose a race, we increase the likelihood of that happening by whatever means.”

“Having a secondary goal to fall back on when we know the first one is gone - that can help keep your feet in the fire. If somebody goes to the starting line of...a marathon...wanting to qualify for Boston, and now their splits are telling them that’s not going to happen. You don’t want to just throw the whole thing out and find yourself giving up, and now you take nothing away from the race other than beating up on yourself….Have a secondary goal going in that you can fall back on.”

“Victory is purely defined by the results, and success can be defined by an internal measure of what you did against what you felt you had to give.”

“It’s running smart first, and tough second, and taking your last effective steps at the finish line and crossing the finish line knowing that no matter how else you may have executed the race, you probably could not have run any faster.”

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What if someone told you there is no “correct” stride? That, just like our fingerprints, everyone’s optimal stride is unique to them?

While this goes against the grain of what we runners have been taught, Jonathan Beverly has the proof to back it up.

The author of a new book called Your Best Stride,Jonathan is a coach, lifetime runner, and expert in running shoes and the running industry.

He writes for Runner’s World and Outside Magazine just to name a few, and he also served as editor ofRunning Timesfrom 2000-2016.

Today Jonathan’s going to share with us some shocking information on the myths surrounding running shoes and what constitutes a perfect stride, how to counter those lifestyle habits detrimental to your stride, and how to master the best stride for you and your performance.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

Jonathan’s new book Your Best Stride

Why there is no “correct” stride

Stride signature and preferred movement path

Why foot strike is overrated

The perils of sitting down and other lifestyle habits

How to counter the effects of these habits

How to avoid “ruts”

Universal form cues all runners should know

Questions Jonathan is asked:

3:48 What is your background and how did you become passionate about running?

6:32 What prompted you to start a writing career centered around running?

9:26 Can you tell us about Your Best Stride and what inspired you to write it?

16:03 Why is foot strike overrated and what should runners focus on instead?

19:30 You argue there is no “correct” stride. Why?

22:37 How does sitting down a lot affect stride? What are some other bad lifestyle habits for stride efficiency?

25:42 How does driving, typing, and scrolling through your phone affect posture and arm carriage?

27:27 How can people counter the effects of these lifestyle habits on their strides?

31:07 What areas of the body should runners focus on strengthening most?

38:01 How does switching up terrain and race distance help improve stride and overall performance?

41:53 Should runners switch the types of shoes they run in regularly?

44:05 What are the myths surrounding running shoes?

47:47 What are some universal form cues all runners should follow?

50:37 Is it more important to strengthen our weak spots than it is to try and consciously change our form?

52:01 How should runners determine which shoes are right for them and their bodies?

54:42 What’s next for you?

Quotes by Jonathan:

“The kinetic chain starts at the hips, and if your hips are off, then everything else is going to be off. So the focus needs to move up, and [foot strike] is the consequence of an effective stride - it’s not the cause of it. If you try to correct the consequence without addressing the cause, you end up with a mess.”

“You can think of your stride like your voice. I’m hearing you talk now and it’s the first time we’ve talked, but the next time I hear you I’ll recognize you. And you shouldn’t sound like me - you should sound like you. You vocal chords are different, the length of your neck is different, the size of your lungs is different - all of those things go into creating your voice. And it’s the same thing with your stride.”

“Because we’ve been sitting so long, a lot of us can’t actually [extend our hips] anymore….If we try, it’s sort of like opening a screen door that only has a hinge one way. If you’re pushing it the other way, you’re going to break the door frame.”

“[Running drills] aren’t cueing a certain type of stride - they’re just changing the motion, changing the muscle recruitment so that your body starts noticing that ‘oh, if I use the glute instead of the hamstring, we can go easier and faster’.”

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After LA native and trail runner Caitlin Landesberg discovered she was gluten intolerant, she felt left out when she could no longer partake in the ritual post-workout beer with her friends.

To most runners, this ritual is a familiar one and part of what makes the sport so gratifying. Kicking back with friendsafter a workout or a race and having a well-earned beer (or, ya know, maybe a few) is an important facet of running and one that goes way back. The celebration (and often commiseration) following a race is a key component to our camaraderie as runners, and beer plays a big role in that.

To Caitlin, running just wasn’t the same without this component, and so she began looking for a satisfying gluten-free beer that would quench her thirst for the rich, full taste to which she was accustomed.

Coming up empty, Caitlin decided to just make her own, and, after a lot of trial and error, Sufferfest Beer Company was born.

Specializing in gluten-removed beer, Sufferfest’s mission is to build community in the running world and provide hardworking athletes with the reward they deserve.

Caitlin is continually working to create not only a great tasting beer but a beer also enriched with vitamins and minerals to help you replenish what you’ve lost and bounce back faster.

Listen in as Caitlin shares how she is working to change the worlds of craft beer and running alike.

22:47 Were you doing this on the side or did you leave your job to do this?

25:50 Was it difficult finding distributors for your beer?

29:35 How did you come up with the name Sufferfest?

32:07 Where can people buy Sufferfest beer?

38:42 How do you wish to impact both the worlds of craft beer and athletics?

43:17 What makes conservation and sustainability so important to you and your team?

46:14 What’s next for you and Sufferfest?

48:09 If you could pick the worst/most gratifying race you’ve ever run, the best Sufferfest, what would it be?

Quotes by Caitlin:

“Now I run mostly for fun, I run with friends, I run to….gosh, to just sort of feel alive.”

“You would look at me and say this person’s in shape - she eats pretty well and of course runs quite a bit and treats her body pretty well, but I was all sorts of wrong at the time.”

“It was just kind of the trial and error of seeing how far I could take something and see how good I could make something taste for myself for very selfish purposes is what sort of led me down this road.”

“That was the big aha moment for me was being able to pass my beer around that was made in this gluten-removed methodology, and people just drank it and loved it. And I didn’t even have to say anything about it, and that’s the beauty of it….just enjoying the basic ritual of having a beer with friends.”

“After a hard day out there whether you’ve been hiking or swimming or what have you - whatever you do to kind of feel like you’ve earned it….I want something satisfying and premium and not low-calorie.”

“I think when we’re all drinking together, we have that camaraderie that we’ve just really writhed and ailed, and that’s sort of the best feeling at times: to finish together and talk about what you’ve just endured.”

“We’re celebrating of course, and that’s part of training: to take days off or take time to celebrate achievements. But how can beer also aid in bouncing back and recovery?”

Mentioned in this podcast:

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!